David O. Russell eyeing MALEFICIENT; director gives updates on more projects
It’s a good time to be director David O. Russell. Despite having his fair share of controversies, the seemingly repentant director has become a member of the directorial A-list once again following the great THE FIGHTER, and now he’s reaping the benefits of that.
First, THR is reporting that the director is eyeing the now-vacant director’s chair on the set of Disney’s upcoming film, MALEFICIENT. The film still has actress Angelina Jolie attached to star, and he’s taken meetings with the studio, which frankly doesn’t mean much, but seeing that someone like Disney is even willing to chat with the much talked about director just goes to show you how well respected he is post-FIGHTER.
In other Russell-related news, in a lengthy piece detailing the reasons why the director left his long-talked about UNCHARTED project, THR (via The Playlist) revealed that he’s currently working on a new film entitled MISSION with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and has also talked to actor Robert De Niro about staring in his upcoming film, THE SILVERLINGING’S PLAYBOOK. That film will star Mark Wahlberg, and is likely set to be the director’s next film.
Personally, all of this is amazing news. I am a huge Russell fan, and it’s insanely interesting to see how he’s become such a hot commodity after one film like THE FIGHTER. I wasn’t wholly sold on that film, but it will definitely be intriguing to see what he’ll be able to do now that he’ll have studio help behind him.
What do you think?
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